Chapter Five: The Beginnings of a Small Vegetable Garden and her Livelihood
Translator: Kitty G.
Editor: None
Farming on a half-acre of land required a whole day's work
D*mn weeds, d*mn wild seedlings…..need to dig it up and loosen the soil….
Mo Qian Xue muttered to herself as she struggled with the shovel. She finally finished sowing the seeds by the time the sun had set into the Western Hills.
At dinner time, Sister Fang led her husband to Mo Qian Xue's yard as he carried a pile of firewood. Instead of waiting for Lady Ning's instruction to place these in the lobby, the pair directly went to her kitchen with the load. Mo Qian Xue felt flustered by their favor and insisted that they leave the firewood outside, but Sister Fang blocked the doorway, not wanting her friend to trouble herself with the chore. How could she let Sister Ning handle the heavy pile of wood alone?
Fang Fangzi handed a bowl over to Mo Qian Xue, where she noticed two plump white steamed buns.
"My children were craving steamed buns today, but I somehow ended up steaming a bigger batch than usual since I haven't tried making these in a while. Since I do have a few extra buns, I wanted to give these to Sister Ning as repayment for helping my son."
She spoke as if she had prepared extras by accident, even though it was actually intentional.
After all she had just solved Lady Ning's need for firewood; admitting that the steamed buns were also made as a favor might cause Mo Qian Xue to feel embarrassed, having received their help so often.
Seeing Fang Fangzi's consideration and generosity, Mo Qian Xue received the bowl and thanked the couple for their work that day. She was already quite hungry, so she decided to accept the offering without being shy. There was no need for stiffness and formalities between neighbors. As repayment, Mo Qian Xue planned to cook several pancakes tomorrow for Sister Fang's two little children.
Time passed by, and the couple enthusiastically helped Mo Qian Xue to neatly arrange the firewood in her yard. By the time they had finished and left, the pile of wood was already a foot taller.
The dry wood burned well for cooking; in just a short period of time, she was able to prepare a pot of her homemade healing porridge(congee), along with a radish side dish and two large steamed buns. She looked at her prepared meal in satisfaction. Not bad.
Ning Shaoqing liked the taste of the congee very much; just one mouthful caused his brow to raise in pleasant surprise.
After a long day's efforts, the tired Mo Qian Xue went to bed and quickly fell asleep.
When Ning Shaoqing heard her breathing become smooth, his eyes began to shine. In the dark, the man gently laid beside her sleeping figure and embraced the woman tenderly as the corner of his lip raised. He entered his dreams that night with a smile.
…
On the following day, the weather was quite favorable since the rain had begun to drizzle.
The light shower was a blessing to the village, bringing moisture to the soil and freshening up the air.
Mo Qian Xue hummed a tune as she went about her work. She was able to fill a couple of broken jars that she found in their house with plants, which she displayed around the rooms. At least now there was a hint of color and greenery in their home.
Ning Shaoqing helplessly sat in front of a table while holding a book in his hand. Instead of focusing on his text, his eyes seemed to unconsciously follow her every move.
Watching this bustling figure, listening to her minor tune, accompanied with the ticking sound of raindrops outside….everything was so harmonious.
Perhaps in this small mountain village, it would be wonderful to finish the second half of his life.
At least he didn't have to scheme everyday—always being on the edge while having the fear of being betrayed…
When his thoughts came back to reality, he suddenly noticed that the house was abnormally quiet, and the busy figure was nowhere in sight.
Ning Shaoqing looked everywhere for her figure, unaware that had Mo Qian Xue stood behind him the whole time while staring intently at the book in his hands.
Just when he turned to look behind, his Lady had already lowered her head beside him; at his time his ear inadvertently swept over her lips, and his lips had almost kissed her chin.
Ning Shaoqing's face quickly turned red. He coughed awkwardly to hide his embarrassment, but Mo Qian Xue's full attention was on the book. She didn't noticed the slight reddening of his ears.
Not having received the attention that he expected, Ning Shaoqing smiled in disappointment. He closed his book and asked, "Where did you come from?"
This was the first time he had ever asked about her origins. But how could she know where her body was from?
In her surprise, Mo Qian Xue could only excuse herself, claiming that her memory wasn't very clear due to her past fever. However unlike Sister Fang, Ning Shaoqing wasn't so easy to fool. "Even after so many days you still can't remember a thing?"
"Uh…..I recovered a few memories recently. I seem to be a lady from a noble family?" Since the way she spoke wasn't akin to someone with who lost her memories, and in addition, she also knew how to read. However she didn't dare to guess how high up nobility her family was, since claiming such an identity would only bring her trouble. After a brief silence, Ning Shaoqing asked her cautiously, "Which noble family are you from?"
"Hey…..this, in fact this is something I really can't recall."
Ning Shaoqing looked at her intently, clearly not trusting her words. However he decided not to pursue the matter.
The man sighed to himself and stood up, then placed his book down before heading out the door.
Mo Qian Xue didn't care about his thoughts or suspicions. Seeing that he left his book behind, Mo Qian Xue picked up the text and sat on the chair that Ning Shaoqing had just used.She read the book with relish, not noticing when her husband had finally returned inside the house, his elegant eyes staring at her.
This book contained exactly what she had been looking for—information about this dynasty's history.
The knowledge that she had gathered from Fang Fangzi was limited to the families who farmed within the village. When it came to major events, business conditions, and the customs of this world, how much could Sister Fang possibly know?
There was a divergence in the events of this space and time. Qin Shihuang had sent forth an expedition across the sea, consisting of five hundred boys and girls who were detained by several thousands of soldiers. After months of sailing, the group had finally drifted to the mainland.
This continent seemed to be quite large, with four cities, nine states, and fifteen provinces.
The expedition itself was made up of well trained, and equipped armies. Thus they were able to form alliances and war with the locals, before finally establishing the present Tian Qi Dynasty.
However, the imperial power in this land was not supreme.
For the most part, the Noble Families** had the final say in political matters. Although there was an imperial examination, most of the officials were actually referred by a noble family, since these households tended to recommend their own members. That explained why these major Families held significant influence in the court.
(**T/N: Family shi jia世家—aristocratic family; old and well-known family; a family holding high official positions for generations)
The members of noble families who became scholars were rarely found teaching in villages or rural areas; their talent in literacy was deemed to be too precious to be sent to such places.
But to Mo Qian Xue, this information wasn't very important.
There were three key points that she considered valuable from this book:
First, the world in this space was still at a time of peace.
Second, the Tian Qi dynasty was only less than two hundred years old; as a result, the technology available for all professions, trades, and industries were low-end in quality.
Third, women can run their own businesses.
Since the world was at peace, Mo Qian Xue could enjoy safety in this era. The fact that the current technologies were not very advanced meant more opportunities for her. And the most exciting part was the last key point:
Not only can a woman own a business; in fact a woman who runs a business can be considered a citizen who was not of unknown origins. According to the laws here, since she didn't have to depend on others (i.e. her parents, family, etc.) and could provide for herself, she naturally would not be auctioned off as a slave.
Of course for her identity to be recognized, the business could not just be some remote village's broken down house, earning only a few copper coins.
She must own thousands of fertile farmland, or dozens of shops and factories, and so on.
Although the future was uncertain, and it was unknown whether her business could succeed, Mo Qian Xue's eyes were nonetheless filled with pride.
If she wants to rise, then she must take destiny into her own hands.
Meanwhile, between her and Ning Shaoqing, she wanted to see first if their marriage would work out; if they were compatible, then he would remain her husband.
But if he made her uncomfortable…
Thinking of the scene a few nights ago, when the startled Ning Xiaoqing sat up as if she would do something indecent, then kicking her out of bed…Mo Qian Xue suddenly felt angry.
Even if they both ended up being compatible, in the future if he ever thinks of "eating" her tofu, she will not easily obey. She must make him taste the feeling of being kicked out of bed if he wanted to make a move. That would be his repayment.
As she imagined kicking the handsome man off the bed, Mo Qian Xue laughed proudly to herself.
In fact, deep down, she never wanted to find a man to depend in order to live well.
It was just that, although Ning Shaoqing's build was quite handsome, in the end he was just a frail and sickly scholar…..he was not a man that could be relied on!
As the sound of pattering rain filled the air, Mo Qian Xue began to plan for the future.